Saturday, January 20, 2018

Before we begin, take note:

There were 100 homicides in Palm Beach County in 2017; in 2016 there were 87 homicides in the County. In 2017 there were 27 homicides in West Palm Beach; in 2016 there were 10. Are those numbers significant? Continue reading and draw your own conclusions.

Here are the opening three paragraphs in the Post datelined New Year’s Eve, December 31st:

WEST PALM BEACH —
As 2017 becomes history in a few hours, the year is guaranteed to rank among the deadliest in Palm Beach County in nearly a decade. According to an online Palm Beach Post database, 100 people were victims of homicides through Sunday afternoon. Official numbers from government agencies won’t be available until early 2018. Hardest hit was West Palm Beach, the scene of 27 murders this year including the slaying Thursday night of a woman and her 11-year-old daughter. No municipality has recorded as many homicides in a single year since the creation of The Post’s database in 2009. [emphasis added]

Yes. The homicide rate did increase in Palm Beach County (PBC) last year. However, here in the City of Lake Worth the homicide rate dropped from nine homicides in 2016 to seven in 2017 and for another example Belle Glade went from ten homicides in 2016 to three last year. In another case, tragically in Jupiter, that city went from two homicides between 2012–2016 to five homicides last year.

Losing a loved one senselessly by homicide is a tragedy for the entire family and community. And the reporters Stucka and Milian remind everyone that sadly, “In 2016, 87 people were slain in the county, the fewest since 2011.” The year 2011 was a bad one for many families and communities as well. In that year eighty-four people were murdered.

Because the question remains. . .

Where exactly did those homicides increase “in county during 2017”? Below are numbers that you may find surprising and won’t find in the Post article cited above unless you dug deeper into the Post’s database. Two important points:

Homicides in all of unincorporated PBC and the 9 cities that have law enforcement provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff in 2017: 35.

There are thirty (30) cities in PBC that have their own police department. But only thirteen (13) of those cities reported a homicide last year.

Expanding on these two points:

Total number of homicides reported in all 13 cities that have their own police departments: 63.

Homicides in West Palm Beach: 27.

Homicides in Riviera Beach: 12.

In Boynton Beach: 11.

Number of homicides in the other 10 cities in PBC that have their own police department? 13.

Number of homicides in all 9 cities thathave PBSO in 2017? 17.

So the last two numbers above, 13 and 17, are statistically similar but again that’s no consolation for anyone whose lost a loved one. However, it’s not hard to notice the one outlier in the bullet list above: West Palm Beach.

What happened that caused the homicide rate to fall so dramatically from ten homicides back in 2016 and then spike up to twenty-seven in 2017? Shouldn’t that be the focus of an enterprising reporter at The Palm Beach Post?

Now, more information from the Post’s database you might find interesting. Below is the list of all cities in PBC that reported a homicide(s) in 2017, number of homicides from highest to lowest (cities in boldface have PBSO):

Note that the Post database begins in 2009. These cities have never reported a homicide since the start of that database:

Atlantis

Briny Breezes

Cloud Lake

Glen Ridge

Golf

Gulf Stream

Haverhill

Highland Beach

Hypoluxo

Juno Beach

Jupiter Inlet Colony

Manalapan

North Palm Beach

Ocean Ridge

Palm Beach

South Palm Beach

Westlake

Note that, for some reason, “Loxahatchee” is listed as a city in the database but that’s an area in unincorporated PBC, not a city. The nearby city is called Loxahatchee Groves.

And lastly. . .

In June 2017 after two homicides occurred within a short period in the City of Lake Worth there was much interest expressed at the City Commission about “gunshot detection technology” by Lake Worth Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell and Commissioner Omari Hardy:

A gunfire locator or gunshot detection system is a system that detects and conveys [in real time] the location of gunfire or other weapon fire using acoustic, optical, or potentially other types of sensors, as well as a combination of such sensors. . . . Systems used in urban settings integrate a geographic information system so the display includes a map and address location of each incident.

Which prompted an observation onthis blog last year:

Instead of looking at gun violence and shootings as a “Lake Worth problem” or a “West Palm Beach problem” could the solution be Lake Worth’s District 14 PBSO and the West Palm Beach Police Dept. working together and collaborating to acquire gunshot detection technology to help solve a regional problem here in Palm Beach County? . . . Or is the real problem, for some who’ve become accustomed to the status quo, is the thought of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth working together to help stop gun violence just completely unimaginable?

“A local newspaper is really a public trust, part of the fabric of the whole community. . . . You know us. My face is on this column on this page, and I live in this community. Several of our reporters and editors grew up in Palm Beach County.”

—Quote. Following news The Palm Beach Post was “up for sale” publisher Tim Burke published a commentary dated Nov. 4th, 2017 titled, “Mission of Post, Shiny Sheet will not change”.

Front page headline yesterday, Friday, January 19th:

“ARREST MADEIN LANTANA HOMICIDE”

Above was the banner headline on the front page above the fold on page A1, this directed readers to the “LOCAL” section. On page B1, below the fold is another false headline:

Meanwhile, back in Lake Worth. . .

A correction and/or clarification needed to be published in this ‘paper of record’ for their readers — the accurate location of two cemeteries — both of which are the final resting place for many local veterans but no correction or even a clarification was forthcoming.

Here’ s what was published last month:

“The wreaths that were placed at Lake Worth National Cemetery last
Saturday [Dec. 16th] were purchased and donated through the Wreaths Across America
organization in Maine.”

There is no such place in Palm Beach County called the ‘Lake Worth National Cemetery’.

The South Florida National Cemetery is out west near the Everglades, nowhere near the City of Lake Worth.

Continue reading to learn more about the cemetery for veterans called the South Florida National Cemetery and the Pinecrest Cemetery — two very different places on different sides of Palm Beach County — both of which are the final resting places for many veterans.

Learn more about the Pinecrest Cemetery locatedin the City of Lake Worth below.

The South Florida National Cemetery is located
west of the Florida Turnpike, south of Wellington, in what’s called
suburban Lake Worth (the address is 6501 S. State Road 7).

About the cemetery located in theCity of Lake Worth.

The Pinecrest Cemeteryis located at 1724 12th Ave. South, and for many local veterans, their final resting place.

For more information about our local cemetery contact the City’s Grounds and Cemetery Supervisor, Mr. Andy Halbling, call 561-586-1677 on Monday–Friday from 7:00–3:30 or send an email to: ahelbling@lakeworth.org

Friday, January 19, 2018

Do you like organics, Peruvian ceviche, fresh juice, beekeepers, vendors and crafters too? Or how about books to learn more about our little City of Lake Worth? Learn more about location and hours below.

Two other convenient places to find the Cottages book in Downtown Lake Worth are the City’s news-stand at 600 Lake Ave. and bookstore locatedat 801 Lake Ave. (The Book Cellar justrecently opened in our City).

The Farmers Market in Lake Worth is open every Saturday until April from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 in Old Bridge Park* across A1A from the scenic Lake Worth Beach and Casino complex (10 S. Ocean Blvd.). Each week the market features between 45 and 60 booths, including fresh produce, mini-donuts, Southern shrimp and grits, sweet and savory foods, and local artisans as well.

Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein encourages everyone to attend and published a special City newsletter titled, “Farmers Market Waterside Returns”:

“Relationships
are central to the market’s culture. Eliminating a third party
distributor allows residents to have a close relationship with the
person who is growing or making their food. As residents return to the
market on a weekly basis, they will get to know the vendors, leading to a
better understanding of local produce, food, and art.”

*If you’re coming from the west, take Lake Ave. to Old Bridge Park (also called “Hot Dog Park”) located over the Robert Harris (“Lake Worth”) Bridge on the east side of the Intracoastal. The Farmers Market is the park and parking lot at the base of the former Lake Worth bridge on the north side of the road.

If this reporter, or any other reporter for that matter, reports any news about this meeting it will have to come from the City’s YouTube video from the Live Streaming feed. You can watch what happened for yourself (see below) and be your own citizen reporter. And by the way, having actual citizen reporters ‘at the scene’ reporting what happened at City Hall is nothing new.

However, in a clear indication how irrelevant The Palm Beach Post has actually become here in this City, the Post’s beat reporter, Kevin Thompson, wasn’t mentioned or even referenced one single time last night until the very end of the meeting when District 3 City Commissioner Andy Amoroso, ‘tongue-in-cheek’ talked about how Thompson never reported that Amoroso was unopposed this election season and will serve another term beginning next March.

The agenda last night was a long one. The meeting lasted over 4 hours. And from the start our City Commission was clearly focused on getting things done.

They were not going to be distracted by anysilly news from the press.

The meeting last night was at times spirited and there were many topics such as code enforcement, how to use Community Development Block Grant funds, much about the City’s Electric Utility, and what the status of the Neighborhood Road Bond program is. And much more. Zoning was a big issue as well. I’ll have more about that a little later.

However, it’s very important to point out that the mood in the City Hall chambers last night was a very positive one. If you were there last night you would know what I mean. So. As you watch this meeting in the video below you’ll certainly see ‘spirited’ and passionate debate.

There are members of this City Commission that clearly have different opinions about some of the issues but they also clearly have deep respect for each other.

Stay tuned for more information later on about what happened at the City Commission last night. And as always, Thank You for visiting today.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Starwood Property Trust just paid $30.7 million for an apartment complex near Lake Worth, [emphasis added] property records show. Congress Park Limited Partnership, an affiliate of the Orlando-based Banyan Development Group, sold the 288-unit development at 3000 Congress Park Drive for about $107,000 per apartment.

and. . .

Congress Park sits on 20 acres just south of Sixth Avenue South and west of South Congress Avenue. The rental community, built in 1995, features two- and three-bedroom apartments, a lake and a community pool.

The property that Starwood Property Trust just purchased is located in unincorporated Palm Beach County and it’s true, per reporter Amanda Rabines, that location is “near Lake Worth” in what’s locally referred to as suburban Lake Worth to differentiate that area from the actual City of Lake Worth.

The reporter at The Real Deal Miami did her research.

Then why shouldn’t we come to expect the same from a local beat reporter from The Palm Beach Post? The site of this real estate transaction is just south of where 6th Ave. South turns into Melaleuca Lane.

About today’s Planning and Zoning Board meeting (beginning at 6:00) and the agenda item,

“[R]equest for a Major Site Plan to allow forthe construction of a 189 unit mixed useapartment complex”.

This agenda item has beenmoved to the P&Z meeting onFebruary 7th!

Here’s the latest from the City of Lake Worth, new item E2 posted on the P&Z agenda:

Consideration of a request for a Major Site Plan and participation in the Sustainable Bonus Incentive Program to construct a 189 unit Mixed-Use apartment complex. Staff is requesting a continuance to a date certain of February 7, 2018.

It’s anyone’s guess why old news about the City of Lake Worth from mid-December 2017 made the front page ‘Local’ section in the Post yesterday, on January 16th, 2018. Last night, by the way, was the first Lake Worth City Commission meeting of this new year.

However, if that decision by the Post to publish old news yesterday was meant to drive the debate or be a distraction at the Commission meeting last night, well, it didn’t work. That old news about the Office of Inspector General “Audit Report 2018-A-001” of Lake Worth Water Utility Services wasn’t brought up even one single time. Not once. So. Anyhow. . .

“A local newspaper is really a public trust, part of the fabric of the whole community.”

The OIG audit of City of Lake Worth Water Utility Services was released last year, on Dec. 18th.

And just today (Jan. 16th, 2018) this old news by Post reporter Kevin Thompson finally made ‘news’ in the newspaper — almost a full month after the OIG audit was released — and by the way the City’s municipal elections are coming up on March 13th, less than 2 months from now. Do you think this old news finally published yesterday is just a coincidence?

A lot more residents of this City need to remember what happened on Christmas Day last year in the Post’s LWVVSMCPE that day when a prominent City resident wrote, “For months I’ve been meaning to cancel my subscription to the tedious Palm Beach Post.”

“Hmmm. If I want to look over the agenda prior to the meeting, how do I do that?”

Scroll down and look for City Commission “January 16 Regular Meeting” and click on “Agenda & Backup” to download (note: after a little while using the menu in the left-hand column becomes very helpful to quickly move forward and back to see various agenda items).

To look over the Planning & Zoning Board agenda? Just scroll down a little further and click on “Agenda Package” to download that agenda.

Hope you found this information helpful and Thank You for visiting today!

You see, it’s in those ‘Letters to the Editor’ that the editor(s) try to
shape public opinion and it rarely if ever works. Just like in another
recent example on the issue of medical marijuana. Just wondering, how
many positive letters about Brightline and medical marijuana got tossed
by the editor(s)?\

That last negative letter about Brightline, the final one of the series, was published in the Post in late December and like the others was “laced with not too subtle fear-mongering.” It was preceded another gem a few days earlier, the letter writer starts of with this line, “I think we all know the train traffic will be freight, not passenger Brightline trains.” Then concludes with this line,

“Horns are not needed and are obnoxious.”

The first line, “I think we all know. . .” uses what’s called the bandwagon fallacy and the second sentence about train hornsis so illogical there is no logical name for it; but the hasty generalization and subjectivist fallacies come close.

As inane as these letters are about Brightline, what would be even more pointless is anyone such as Mr. Myers or Mr. Kovalsky responding to any of it. Who are Messrs. Myers and Kovalsky? Please continue reading.

Or one could also refer to this “fear-mongering” about Brightline as, “bringing buckets of water to yesterday’s fire.” Find out why a little later.

What follows is the original blog post from December 13th when these letters began appearing on the editorial page:

Tequesta resident Dennis Myers and West Palm Beach resident Jim Kovalsky both deserve a lot of credit. If you didn’t know, one of the not-so-clever ways the editors at the Post try to stir up trouble is by publishing ‘letters’ on the editorial page, “laced with not too subtle fear-mongering.”

Brightline was a target in 2016 for several weeks and was once again the target recently with this gem of a letter, “With Brightline, 32 more train trips a day: Do the math”. A logical question to ask the letter writer is why did you wait so long to ‘Do the math’? On this blog I’ve been following the progress of All Aboard Florida, later renamed Brightline, since way back in 2014!

Ergo the reference above to “bringing bucketsof water to yesterday’s fire.”

Anyhow. Back in June 2016 Mr. Myers of Tequesta dealt with all that illogical hysterics and bandwagon fallacies concerning letters published with so-called ‘concerns’ and fears about the Brightline passenger rail service project:

Recent weeks have seen letters to The Palm Beach Post voicing renewed outrage [emphasis added] over the potential damage expanding the local railway system will bring to the quality of our lives. Sentiments range from exaggerated speculation countered by point-of-fact responses to earnest opposition laced with not too subtle fear-mongering. For me, however, all the hand-wringing comments miss several key points in the argument.

Now comes Jim Kovalskyto the rescue!

Following the letter published recently in the Post about the soon-to-begin Brightline passenger rail service and ‘Do the math’, Mr. Kovalsky fired back with his own letter titled, “Don’t stop on tracks: Train problem solved”; here are excerpts from that letter which appears in yesterday’s (12/13) print edition:

I
applaud Jack Felton for being concerned for the public’s safety as
Brightline prepares to start their new express train service here in
South Florida, but his math is mistaken and his fear misplaced. [emphasis added] He attempts to use mathematics to make his concern appear
valid, but as someone with a degree in mathematics and computer
science, I would paint a different picture. The FEC Railway
currently runs approximately 20 trains daily between Jacksonville and
Hialeah, and each of those trains crosses almost 500 crossings in every
trip. That tells us that already the crossing signals protect us
successfully at 3.5 million grade crossing activations each year. When
there are incidents at a grade crossing, the horn or lack of horn is
not the cause — 100 percent of grade crossing accidents are caused by
people stopping their vehicles on the tracks. Here’s a simple solution
for everyone — and it’s also a state law (FS 316.1945) — never stop on
the tracks.

and. . .

Remember, the train does not
swerve off the tracks to hit a car. The car must be in the train’s way
to get hit, and we are all responsible for maintaining our own safety.

Well put, Mr. Kovalsky. And a big Thank You to Mr. Myers as well for addressing those ‘concerns’ and open-ended speculation “laced with not too subtle fear-mongering.”

This agenda item WILL NOT BE ON TOMORROW’S Planning & Zoning Board agenda. This item was moved to the next P&Z meeting on February 7th:

Here is new agenda item E2 from the City:

“Consideration of a request for a Major Site Plan and participation in the Sustainable Bonus Incentive Program to construct a 189 unit Mixed-Use apartment complex. Staff is requesting a continuance to a date certain of February 7, 2018.”

Note that the City of Lake Worth’s P&Z Board is usually scheduled to meet on the first Wednesday of the month. But due to conflicts with the holiday schedule the January 3rd meeting was moved to this coming Wednesday, Jan. 17th.

Were you thinking about volunteering on aCity board in 2018? Well, 2018 is here.

To find out which boards are in need of volunteers click on this link or contact Olivia Brown, the volunteer coordinator. Send an email to: obrown@lakeworth.org

Now scheduled for the February 7th meeting at the P&Z, two excerpts from a public notice published in The Lake Worth Herald:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Planning & Zoning Board City of Lake Worth,
Florida, will hold a public hearing in the City Hall Commission Chambers at 7 North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth, Florida 33460, at 6:00 PM or as soon thereafter as
possible, on January 17, 2018 to consider a request by the Wantman Group Inc. (WGI)
on behalf of the applicant, Lake Worth Investment Group LLC, for the following:

A request for a Major Site Plan to allow for the construction of a 189 unit mixed use
apartment complex, and a request for a Sustainable Bonus Incentive Program to
increase the building height, to include one, five-story building and four, three-story
buildings.

The site is located approximately 200 feet west of the 10th Avenue North
and Boutwell Road intersection, within the Mixed-Use West Zoning District (MU-W).

and. . .

You also have the opportunity to attend the meeting
to provide oral testimony. For additional information on the above issues, please
visit the City of Lake Worth Division of Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation
located at 1900 Second Ave. North, Lake Worth, Florida 33461 or contact City Staff at
561-586-1687.

Monday, January 15, 2018

The festival is February 24th and 25th (Saturday and Sunday). Sounds like a long time away but it’s only a little over a month away. So get your artist application in ASAP using this link to download all the information you need. Applications are reviewed on a first-come first-served basis.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

“He [Martin County Commissioner Ed Fielding] stated he believes that gate 308, which connects Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie Estuary, needs to be closed.”

—Excerpt from Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCPRC) meeting in July 2017. Continue reading to learn more about this below, more excerpts from the TCRPC.

Post-Hurricane Irma, now that fears have subsided about a serious breach in the Herbert Hoover Dike, the blog post below from September last year takes on new significance. Martin County commissioners Ed Fielding and Doug Smith are cited (excerpt below) in the draft minutes of the TCRPC meeting held on July 21st .

Under its revised 2008 regulation schedule, the [U.S. Army] Corps strives to
maintain Lake Okeechobee’s water level between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet
NGVD,*in part to protect the integrity of the aging Herbert Hoover Dike
that surrounds the lake. The lake’s water level can rise up to six times
faster than water can be discharged. For example, heavy rains from
Tropical Storm Isaac in August 2012 raised the lake level by 3 feet in a
month.

From the draft minutes at the TCRPC meeting in July 2017 about the “Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project [WRP] Planning Update” given by Jennifer Leeds, the Section Administrator for the SFWMD† Office of Everglades Policy and CERP‡ program manager, provided an update on the Lake Okeechobee WRP.§

From pp. 6–7 of this update (see links below) givenat the TCRPC is this excerpt from the minutes:

“Commissioner Fielding [Martin County Comm. Ed Fielding] thanked Ms. Leeds for what has been done to date,
but he believes it will not provide relief to the estuaries. He stated
once the water is in Lake Okeechobee and there is an emergency situation
that requires water releases, the water will most likely be sent
through the St. Lucie Estuary. He [Fielding] stated he believes that gate 308, which connects Lake
Okeechobee to the St. Lucie Estuary, needs to be closed. [emphasis added] He stated the
basic problem is the water goes into the lake 6 times faster than it can
be released, and the outlets for release are S80, St. Lucie Lock &
Dam in Stuart, and S79, W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam near Fort Myers. He
concurred with Chairman Smith [Martin County Comm. Doug Smith] that there needs to be communication with
Osceola County for the potential to move, store, and clean water to the
north. He [Fielding] stated the underlying problem everyone is overlooking is we
are going into an era of higher volatility weather patterns and past
data cannot be used to predict future scenarios. He indicated he
understands the complexities, but stated he feels this is being glossed
over to get to a solution he believes is insufficient.”

Look over this agenda item yourself at the TCRPC and read the minutes by using this link, then scroll down to download the “Draft Minutes”.

To learn more about the Herbert Hoover Dikeand the Lloyd’s of London “EmergingRisks Team Report” use this link:

“Since the construction of the dyke,¶ the landoutside of the dyke has been eroding, particularlyon the south side of the lake.”

“[T]he dyke is no longer being used solely as alevee to protect the area from flooding whenstorms are in the vicinity but also to hold apermanent reserve of water.”

And lastly. . .

On the question of “$800M in bonds? For a new reservoir ‘which is intended to help’ and ‘potentially reduce’ algae outbreaks?”, click on this link.

Footnote section:**

*NGVD = National Geodetic Vertical Datum.
†SFWMD = South Florida Water Management District.
‡CERP = Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
§The Lake Okeechobee WRP is a joint effort between SFWMD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineeers.
‖The TCRPC meetings are held at the Wolf High Technology Center, Indian River State College (Chastain Campus), located at 2400 SE Salerno Road in city of Stuart.
¶The word “dyke” is the British variant of “dike”. Technically, however, the Herbert Hoover Dike is no longer a dike; Lake Okeechobee is a body of water confined by a wall of earth, clay, other fortifying materials and man-made structures.**On topic of footnotes, following order of *, †, ‡, §, ‖, and ¶, one then begins to “double-up”, for example, **, ††, ‡‡, etc.

From an article published in a former Lake Worth tabloid dated April 24th, 2015.

The opening two paragraphs:

Business owners on Lake Avenue were talking about it last summer [sic]. Hudson Holdings was buying several buildings in our downtown, a sign of their interest in the city and their willingness to invest in it while working to re-open The [sic] Gulfstream Hotel. “He went to me and four other people to buy our buildings,” said former art gallery owner Robert Pardo, speaking of Steve Michael of Hudson Holdings. “He signed offers and put us in touch with his lawyer. He went through the whole process, and then we waited for him to put the first penny down, and it never happened.”

Click on newspaper clipping to enlarge:

This newspaper clipping is from April 2015. Hudson Holdings purchased the Gulfstream Hotel in May 2014, less that one year earlier. It took until March 2017 for the derelict structures to be removed from the property. Who paid to have that word done? Click on this link to find out.

Then one month later. . .

Our
plans are to rehabilitate this hotel [and] bring it back to its
historic significance in the public areas, the lobby, corridors etc.,”
said Steven Michael, principal of developer Hudson Holdings during a
tour Friday. “We’ll do a complete rehabilitation of the whole building
from top to bottom.”—Quote from this article in the Sun Sentinel datelined April 14th, 2017.

If you’re not worried about the future of the Gulfstream Hotel, then you better start.

To save this old, grand, historic hotel we need more young people to get involved, especially so the Millennials in this City because, “We need activists. Young people with the energy and the passion to carry the fight forward.”